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Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Spain

The CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) is the largest and leading public research institution in Spain and the third in Europe due to the quality and quantity of its scientific production. It plays an essential role within the Spanish System for Science, Technology and Innovation and contributes to reinforce Spain’s position at the international level.

CSIC’s main aim is to develop and promote scientific studies to contribute to foster scientific and technological progress. CSIC's mission includes: 1) multidisciplinary scientific and technical research; 2) scientific and technical advice; 3) transferring results to the private sector; 4) contributing to the creation of technology-driven companies; 5) training specialised personnel; 6) management of infrastructure and large facilities; 7) promoting scientific culture. The CSIC is multidisciplinary, carrying out research in almost all fields of knowledge. Its activities encompass basic research all the way through to technological development.

The CSIC is present in all the autonomous regions through their centres across Spain. It comprises 120 centres spread across Spain, and is also present in Brussels and Rome. It is formed by employees with a wide range of academic qualifications and professional categories. The CSIC employs 11,000 people, of which 3.000 are researchers. In total, they represent the 6% of Spain’s R&D workforce and generate approximately the 20% of the country’s production. Likewise, the CSIC collaborates with other juridical entities such as consortia and trading companies.

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) published between 1 November 2017 - 31 October 2018 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the FC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Highlight of the month

Deep-sea corals face acidification

The acidification of the North Atlantic Ocean could endanger deep-water corals within 30 years.

The world’s oceans have absorbed around 30% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. This has reduced levels of a calcium carbonate called aragonite, from which many corals build their tough outer layer.

A team that included researchers from the Spanish National Research Council used global observations of marine carbon dioxide between 2002 and 2016 to calculate the changing depth of the aragonite saturation horizon (ASH), above which corals can survive.

The ASH has risen by almost 15 metres each year in parts of the North Atlantic, and the researchers predict that it could ascend from its current 2,000 metres to 1,500 metres within three decades if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked. The plight of corals below this depth will be worsened by acidified waters descending on deep-ocean currents.

The loss of cold-water corals could endanger many marine creatures that use these protective ecosystems as breeding grounds.

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